Hiring a worker or a housemaid has become the basic requirement of our life. The important thing is if we hire helpers for our work, it is our foremost duty to take care of our workers and let them lead an easy life without any obstacles.
SR 88,600 is such a huge amount to pay to anyone and this story becomes more surprising when we come to know that this amount was paid by Saudi citizen to his Sri Lankan housemaid. This news relates to K.G. Kusumawathi who used to reside in Sri Lanka. She left her country to earn money for her family.
She was the resident of Abanpola in Atawarala who left her country in 2000 and was away from her home for 17 years. A Saudi sponsor hired her for her domestic work. She worked as a shepherd in the desert remote area. She did not get in touch with her family members for the past one and a half year.
Her family members filed a complaint with Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE). Foreign Employment and Justice Minister Thalata Atukorale contacted the Labor officers at the Saudi embassy to take a step to get her get back to Sri Lanka.
Following the complaint, the Saudi Embassy Officials were able to locate Kusumwati with the help of Saudi immigration authorities and Criminal Investigation Department. SLBFE Media Secretary Nalin Rajapaksa said her employer admitted to pay her SR 88,600 as salary overdue.
He added, “The amount could be considered as the largest amount recovered as salary arrears paid to a Sri Lankan Migrant worker in SLBFE’s history.” This news was reported by Saudi Media encouraging sympathetic reaction among Saudi’s.
Their thoughts were quite different as it was expected. They did not welcome the happy ending of the story. They judge the sponsor as a rude and wicked man. Saudi social media user had shown feelings of frustration and have called to take legal action against the sponsor.
They said he should be punished for depriving a woman to contact her family. People showed their anger saying; This is totally against the values cherished by our society and the principle embraced by our country. Only Heartless people keep a woman away from her family for 17 years. He is a heartless, ignorant and selfish man who should be punished.
However, some stood against the housemaid saying, she would have gone with the idea of staying a long time there. They thought that there must be something unknown, they cannot believe that in such a long period her family did not complain about her. However, people should verify the matter before judging them both.
Who did what? We are not very much aware of the incident. God knows better. But the good news is the housemaid Kusumawathi was finally able to go home after Saudi and Sri Lankan authorities cooperated with her. She reached back her home last Friday after 17 years.
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